Kiss the Devil
by Tuonra
Summary: Azula arrives in Jump city to a not so warm welcome courtesy of the Teen Titans, but soon they figure out her arrival brought with it more than expected. They'll need her help to restore order to their worlds, not an entirely unpleasant prospect to one of the titans. [Raven x Azula]
1. Prologue

Disclaimer:

I do not own any of the characters from the worlds of Avatar or Teen Titans; they belong to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and to Glen Murakami respectively. I do however lay claim to the original situations and plot that I place these characters in as well as any original characters I create. Enjoy.

WHOOOMP!

The explosion rocked the earth in Sturbridge and for those close enough to see the water of the lake rise, they knew this day just got a whole lot worse.

WHIIIUM! WHIIIUM! WHIIIUM!

"Titans, it's the crime alert"

"Who is it?" Cyborg asked

"We don't know Argent called it in, she's at the dam and there was an underwater detonation and she said something about blue flames. Titans GO!"

XX

Ten minutes later they're at the dam, the damage is immediately apparent. The large concrete façade is cracked halfway down the middle, water gushing through. But the titans' attention is drawn to the spectacle on top. It's a lightshow of reds and blues against the night sky, metacrime police officers firing lasers at some person; it looks to be a woman dressed in east-Asian robes. She's returning fire with bolts, whips and bursts of brilliant azure flames.

"Starfire Raven, you guys see if you can help Argent repair that dam, Cyborg you take the right I'll come in from the left. Beastboy you see what you can do from above. Titans, let's go!"

Raven floated down to stem the flow of water, levitated a bundle of trees into the crack, followed by a large freight container. Argent was already busy tackling the break in the dam, attempting to clamp the two sides back together with her conjured crimson staples. Starfire gladly assisted and pulled the two pieces back together with her tameranian strength. Robin was first into the fray up top. Dodging three quick bursts of fire before the mysterious attacker turned to defend her other side he advanced throwing two birdarangs. Without a hint of surprise they were blasted out of thin air over her shoulder. Now he extended his bo-staff and went on the offensive, dodging several hits but never getting a clean opportunity to strike. Stepping back he concluded that whoever this mystery woman was she was a master martial artist, having integrated the use of her powers flawlessly into her fighting style. Three more quick jabs and an explosive disk put her on the defensive. While he was charging for the next attack she jumped backwards onto her hands, leapt onward and back to face him and swept her leg gracefully across the ground in his direction, creating a blade of blue fire in the few yards in between them and sending it racing towards Robin's ankles. Taken aback by the new combat style he was unable to dodge the fireball aimed at his chest when he leapt back and it sent him crashing into the agent behind him knocking them both over the edge.

"Raven!"

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

A black tendril manifested below them and expanded out, catching them as if they had fallen into a cloth bag. When the shadows around him flattened into a platform he quickly untangled himself from the officer and shot his grappling hook back onto the ledge of the dam and was off. The platform gently lowered the officer to the ground and Raven refocused on the broken dam.

Cyborg saw his time to strike and ran up to the suspect criminal. Blow for blow his attacks were systematically dismantled. When cyborg saw his next punch get caught he stopped dead in its tracks, only surprised for a short while when he heard and felt the distinct 'kling' of a fist impacting with his titanium alloy chest. Locking eyes with the girl he noticed that she was soaking wet, but more than that the maniacal grin that had been plastered on her face thus far had disappeared in favor of gritted teeth. "Ow." She said dryly in a way reminiscent of Raven. "Get's 'em every time." Was Cyborg's response. Grabbing her by the shoulders he flung her off himself and back across the dam.

"I got this!" came a high-pitched screech from a green owl above.

A moment later a half-ton silverback gorilla dropped down onto the dam in front of the assailant. Flabbergasted for only a moment she quickly wields her trusty blue flames and goes on the offensive. An intricate dance around the gorilla leaves Beast Boy seemingly under attack from all sides, after a couple unsuccessful sweeps and smashes the gorilla changes in favor of a more nimble Bengal tiger. Astonished the woman regains her bearings just too late and is quickly pounced by the giant beast. Struggling only a moment she send three kicks into the animal's gut the third laced with a thin arc of blue sends the tiger back with a yowl. Speedily rising to her feet she once again begins to throw punches and dodging claws. Noticing how this mystery woman fights Beast Boy adapts and goes for her hands and soon enough they are left locked in each other's grip the flame wielder wrestling the tiger on its hind legs. A good plan by the shape shifter, but one that didn't consider all her abilities; seeing the flames ignite in her mouth he was barely quick enough to dodge but was left sprinting to the water with a painful cry to extinguish his tail.

"Two down, just you and me metal man!"

"Gaaah!" Cyborg yelled as he started charging over to her.

"I've got just the thing for you, let me just dry myself off first" she said and moments later engulfed herself in brilliant blue flames. Undeterred Cyborg raised his fist and continued his charge. Everyone heard the crackling in the air and Cyborg's eye went wide moving on autopilot as he saw the blue sparks come off her fingertips, his attention so focused on what he hoped he wasn't seeing that it all seemed to happen in slow motion. The world around him blurred as he saw the bolt of lightning coming straight at him, raising one arm at the last second in a feeble attempt to stop it. The bolt impacted with an ear shattering bang that knocked him, her and all the police officers to the ground at once, dislodged the trees, container and asphalt sealing up the dam and lit up the night sky painting the entire scene in eerie black and sapphire. A dazed Robin managed to shout:

"Titans, regroup!"

The remaining five titans hovered in a black sphere above the now steadily rising river, Robin spoke first.

"Okay titans, so far we have seen she can control fire and lightning, but nothing of flying, I suggest Raven and Starfire try to take her down while I get Cy out of there. Beastboy, you help Argent stop the dam from flooding Sturbridge. Anyone know anything more?"

"Do we know any more of who this might be?" Raven asked

"I asked the other honorary titans, and the chief of the meta-police squad, but no-one knew anything." Argent replied "For all we now she appeared out of thin air."

"Or water." Beastboy cut in. "You did notice she was soaking wet right?"

At that moment the black walls of the sphere flashed with silver light, cracking and nearly shattering before a staggered Raven reformed them.

"What are you hiding for? Come out and enjoy the party!" Came a sinister cry.

"Titans, you know the plan, go!" Robin ordered.

Opening like a blooming black tulip the titans emerged from Raven's sphere in all directions, a hawk to the skies a crimson streak towards the river, a green flash with a masked fighter headed for the fallen companion and a blue hood floating straight towards her target.

"Now this should be fun." The flamewielder spoke.

Raven took the first move and sent tendrils of black out from under her cloak, bending the shadows to her will and sent them at her opponent. Concluding the same as the changeling, she hurtled them at the woman's wrists, grabbing onto the left one first. The other however proved quicker as her arm recoiled, her hand ablaze with blue Raven saw her dark arm stop dead, seemingly struggling against the force of her opponent's fire, quickly losing ground. The fire seemed to disperse her shade limb faster than she reformed it. Throwing more energy into the arm Raven saw herself gain back some ground, but her contender was just as fast to return the punch, the flames exploded with a sudden burst growing in size and overpowering the dark tendril once more, putting Raven back on the defensive.

"What's the matter, Afraid of the light?" The girl hissed.

With the arm at bay, the mystery woman freed her other wrist with a quick, sharp burst of blue and struck a battle stance once more; only to be hit in the shoulder by a burst of lime-green energy.

Turning quickly on the spot to face the new assailant, she hastily dodged three more blasts and returned several of her own. Undeterred, Starfire continued to focus fire on the elemental girl, occasionally switching to beams from her eyes as she moved in closer. Besides surprise at the beams, her opponent never faltered and even found time to counter with a large cloud of flame blocking Starfire's vision momentarily. Making swift use of the diversion, the fire master made her way to the other side of the flying Tamaranean, landing a solid fireball to her back. Unfazed but notably angrier Star turned to face her assailant once more and flew at her with an energized fist at the ready. The next few moments happened in a flash; the fire woman twisted her torso back to dodge, she continued over her shoulder until an elbow came down hard on her forearm, instantly bending it and stopping her motion. Halted, she felt a leg get planted right behind hers and was powerless to prevent the massive fire blast to her chest from knocking the wind out of her and sending her careening back through the air and smacking a massive dent into the concrete wall of the dam's guardhouse.

"All power and no skill, a classic." Came the remark from the, admittedly panting, flamewielder.

Looking back to her defeated foe, she locked eyes with the masked one.  
Robin had just emerged from the guardhouse to where he had dragged Cyborg's unconscious body when two demonically crazed eyes clashed with his own unyielding, white stare. Beneath the gaze he saw the most insane, maniacally crooked grin smiling back at him it sent a shiver down his spine. Recovering quickly he charged carefully into the confrontation, determined not to get caught off guard this time. Seeing her chance Raven also sent a burst of sharp spiny tentacles toward the woman, assaulting her from the side. Barely thrown off her game, the blue sorceress whipped her left arm back creating a disk of fire, cutting through three of the tendrils with seemingly no effort before Robin was upon her. With determination in his face, the martial artist went in for an investigating strike. Effortlessly dodging the punch his opponent flowed directly into a series of three short jabs of flame to the chest. Dodging back from the attack and getting a better sense of his opponent's fighting style jumped back into the fray with a swift kick to her legs. She jumped and tilted her body back in the air followed by five swift flaming kicks keeping her aloft like jet boots. Barely in time to raise his cape as a shield, Robin whipped his trusty staff out of his belt and swept the burst fighter's legs out from under her. At the same time Raven's dark tendrils wrapped around her waist as the fallen criminal caught herself in push-up position and promptly created jets of fire from her hands and feet, sending her rocketing off low over the top of the dam, pulling Raven along like a parasailer for a few yards until the tethers gave way. Turning around mid-flight the crazed woman raises herself up to face Robin; still aloft on her own flames she then flies grin-first at him, her eyes seemingly glinting at the prospect of inflicting pain. Robin stands his ground; he will not let this woman who has torn through his team so effectively get by him. The collision was massive but both remain upright. Robin counters with a staff hit to the right shoulder; it has the intended effect when he sees her arm hanging limply beside her. She however, remains undeterred and keeps coming at him with fast, burst strikes, several hitting him in the right knee and shin destroying his suit and leaving a searing burn on his bare skin. Both battered they continue to wail on each other, a swift backhand to his right temple leaves him dazed, but only for a moment. A full force punch to the gut leaves her doubled over, but she recovers before he can press an advantage. As tough as he is Robin knows his limits and he can tell that, while they both have much fight left in them his stamina seems to be waning faster. Taking a knee strike to the thigh but dodging a punch to the upper torso Robin makes a decision, one more attempted punch to her side and "Raven! Do it!"

"But Robin, You're…"

"I know Raven, just do it!"

Over their shoulders both Robin and the girl with blue flames see the mass of black come out from under the hooded one's billowing cloak. Making use of the distraction a flaming fist connects with Robin's cheek and the get right back to combat, trading blows more or less evenly until they both become enveloped in a seemingly infinite blackness. As the dark edges start to close in Robin seer nothing but the spectacle of blue flames lighting up the increasingly frustrated face of the elementalist. She soon focusses her attention on the blackness as it starts closing in around the two of them, allowing Robin to take a step back and recover. Robin felt all energy slowly start to drain from him and as he stumbled to one knee he saw the flames in front of him get weaker and weaker, saw her collapse to the ground; with one last azure gasp they both felt the darkness pull them in and their eyes fall closed.

XX

 _Three days later, Titan Tower_

"Raven, wake up. For god's sakes wake up!" A groggy Cyborg said as he shook at her shoulders

"I'm up, I'm up. Where am I?"

"Ah finally, you've been in the med bay for three days, well more like two and a half with Star having to carry us all back here, but anyways Robin said it shouldn't have taken you this long to wake up again…"

"Robin, is he okay?"

"How should I know, he seems fine, but he did just spend two days in your mind."

"And the girl, where is she?"

"Safe and away in Jump city jail, now there're pancakes ready for you upstairs…"

"I'm gonna go talk to her." Raven interrupts, getting up.

"You sure, they're really good pancakes, and Robin would want to talk to you."

"I'm sure; I think we might have put her in jail for no reason."

XX

 _Jump City Jail, Cell D4: Isolation_

"So, Raven was it?"

AN: I hope you enjoyed this prologue, please do tell me what you think as this is my first story. Spread the word and give me feedback, I have a pretty good sense of where this story could go, but I'd love your input. Also if anyone could recommend a good cover image I'd appreciate it.

See ya,

-Tounra


	2. Hira'a

An hour outside the fire nation village of Hira'a a group of five with a troubled history now walk together, united –albeit loosely- by a common goal, finding Ursa the lost fire nation princess and mother.

"Did we really have to leave Appa behind?"

"The forest is too dense Sokka and besides, you're not scared are you?" Katara replied.

"Hello! Didn't you read the sign, this is the Forgetful Valley. You know, the whole 'no-one has ever returned' thing. And on top of that we have to deal with crazy eyes, blue fire over here."

"Oh quit being so dramatic, peasant." the frightening princess cut in.

"Don't talk to my brother like that!"

"Guys," Aang interrupted "I think we should keep moving I feel another presence near us."

"Is it the giant wolf spirit again?" Zuko asks

"No. This feels different, I feel it most of all in my face. It kind of makes me want to squint one eye and grimace with the other side of my face. Like this."

"Wah! Again with the faces?" Sokka yelps "Did you see the bark on this tree; it looks kind of like a scary face too. And this squirrel toad and all the leaves on this tree have faces on them."

"It's not funny Sokka, Aang is serious." Katara chastises.

" _I'm_ serious. There're faces everywhere in this forest."

 _That's why I've felt like I was being watched ever since we passed the sign._ Azula thought to herself.

Trekking further in to the jungle-like vegetation of this otherworldly forest, it was hard to believe they were still in the fire nation.

"Hey, that flutterbat looks like it has the face you were making on its wings." Zuko says

"You're right. Come here Mr. Flutterbat. I think we're supposed to meet."

"I guess we should follow the airhead." Azula states after the avatar disappears into the jungle.

Following their new guide the team reached a small clearing. In it lies a tranquil clear blue pool of water perfectly round the size of a Kaui ball field. Its mission accomplished the flutterbat flies up into the air disappearing from view.

"I guess this is where it wants us to be, now what." Katara asks.

"I don't know, we'll just wait to see what happens" Aang responds.

"You don't know?" Azula explodes, rage in her eyes as if on fire she continues "I knew it, she's just using you to delay me. I'm on to you, mother! I was getting close wasn't I?"

"Azula, you're not making any sense." Zuko tries to calm her down. "What is going on?"

"Get out of my way, brother. You're just like all the others, always standing in my way. Not anymore!"

Sweeps of blue flame light the clearing and knock Zuko to the side.

"Azula stop! This is a place of peace to the spirits; you don't want to anger them." Aang tried to reason.

"Leave me alone avatar, you won't help someone like me." Blue flames charge at the airbender, but stop short as they collide with a water wall Katara put up.

"No Katara, don't bend the water from the pool."

He'd barely uttered the words before something whizzed by his head and stuck itself in the trunk of a tree on the edge of the clearing. "It's a throwing star," Zuko says "but none like I've ever seen before. This one looks just like a flower."

"It _is_ a flower." Katara says now also at the tree

"Look out! More incoming." Sokka warned.

All five of them take up defensive stances as a dozen more sharp flowers come flying at them. They are no match for rock walls and arcs of fire and water, but they keep coming nonetheless.

"It's like the forest itself is attacking us." Katara exclaims.

"It just might be, look!" Zuko is pointing to a mass of vines coming at them as if they were long arms trying to get them.

"They're coming from all sides, circle up." Azula commands, tactician before all.

Each of them deals with several vines. The circle holding as blades of air, and arcs of fire, water whips and boomerang slashes keep the plants at bay. Azula sees Sokka's latest slice leaving him open to the vines coming at the back of his head. _Ughh, fine_ she thinks and she deftly dispatches the threat. Sokka turns around and she can see the surprise in his face.

"What?"

"Uhh, thanks?"

"An idiot fighting on my side is better than no idiot."

"Riiight."

Switching to earthbending Aang readies his stance for an earth spike. In doing so he stomps on a thrown flower lying on the ground. It shatters like glass and Katara notices. She picks up another one and snaps it in half. It shatters into tiny shards and flakes like the last one. "Not glass, ice." She thinks out loud.

"Ice! This isn't the forest attacking us it's waterbending!"

Focusing on the plants surrounding her she grabs hold of the water in the vines and slows them to a halt, before pushing them away.

"You're not the only waterbender here, show yourself!"

Two figures dressed in blue northern water tribe robes step into the clearing, one an older woman and the other a man wearing a simple wooden mask covering his entire face. The woman guides the strong looking man as if he is blind.

"I'm sorry for attacking you, it's been many years since we've seen other humans and our pool must remain undisturbed." The woman begins.

"That's what I said!" Aang says looking at his friends, happy for the confirmation.

"Why are you out here?" Zuko asks approaching the tired looking waterbender.

"We're here to help my brother. He's not been the same since the accident. He lost much of himself, so much that he lost his identity."

"And this forest can help?" Zuko asks "How?"

"There a legends of a great spirit that grants wishes. It passes through here once in a while at times when faces adorn the forest; nights much like tonight."

"Seriously guys, faces? Have you noticed how we're in the right place at the right time an awful lot, it almost feels like cheating." Sokka interrupts.

"Shhh, Sokka, let her finish." Katara says irritated.

"When the time is right a great blue wolf spirit comes to the forest to drink from one of the four pools. That pool is where the spirit will appear. We have tried for years but the wolf has never chosen our pool."

"You mean like the giant wolf spirit that was twice as big as Appa we saw on our way here?" Aang wonders out loud.

"It's too late anyway; the wolf would have been here already if it had chosen this pool." The woman says with a defeated voice "It's okay brother, we'll keep trying" she says to her companion.

"No," Aang says jumping to his feet "It's not too late, I'm the avatar. Spirits are my thing. I'll get that wolf to come to this pool."

Aang squats by the edge of the pool and meditates into the spirit world to find the wolf.

"It'll be all right, Aang will come through. This is the last time you'll wait for the spirit." Katara assures.

"This is a waste of time! I should be finding my mother not doting over some poor vagrants. Why did I even think you could help me!" Azula storms off and Zuko goes after her.

"This is finding mother" He tries when he catches up to her "When you travel with the avatar, there's one thing you must understand, helping people is what he does. He won't stop that for us."

"Then what's the use? I don't need you; you need me to find her." Azula spits turning to face her brother. "Wait. Mother; she did this; she's still slowing me down! This is all her doing!" and she storms back to the waterbenders' camp.

In the spirit world Aang floats through the forest chasing the sounds and trails of spirit energy that fill the air until he comes across a familiar presence.

"Hello Mr. Flutterbat, I knew we'd meet again!"

The response came in a form more akin to metal chimes singing in the wind then any human voice.

"Follow me, I know where it is you wish to go."

Flying along, Aang saw the wolf spirit running underneath and caught up to it as it was nearing another pool.

"Hi there your wolfyness, don't drink from this pool, there's a much tastier pool over here, follow me."

The wolf barely slows to acknowledge the avatar and keeps heading to the pool.

"This way!" Aang gets in front of the wolf but is promptly nudged to the side by its massive snout. In a last attempt to lead it he clings to the locks of blue fur on its shoulder as it speeds towards the pool.

"Who dares ride my wolf as if it were a common beast of burden" Boomed a voice that was not quite human but not entirely ethereal as the others. More like the voice you would imagine a tree would speak with. This one however sounded decidedly female.

"I'm sorry, my name is Aang..." he started as he quickly let go of the beast, but the rest of his sentence died on his tongue as he gazed upon the spirit in front of him. Out of the pond had arisen a behemoth of a creature, so tall it could easily swat an airship out of the sky. Her body looked as if thousands of dense tree roots intertwined to form her torso and massive arms in a way that made them both strong and flexible. Her head was made up of about half a dozen plain white faces, as if blank masks. Atop of them and covering where the eyes of each of the faces would go, there was what could be a crown or some form of hair, made of the same roots as her body. When she spoke all her faces did, making Aang feel as if outsized and outnumbered. He quickly recovered. "And I am the avatar, who are you?"

"I am the Mother of Faces."

Back at the camp the three members of team avatar are struggling to hold back the raging Azula when Aang returns to his body.

"Stop! I have brought the spirit to our pool." He says

The rest of the group freezes as they look around the jungle expecting the wolf to come out of nowhere when the water in the pond starts to gurgle just before the Mother of Faces surges out. Everyone recoils in surprise forgetting their previous fights to stare at the titan.

"I am the Mother of Faces; through me separateness and identity came into this world. I pass through this forest once a season, never have I strayed from the path my wolf chooses for me. I do so now in deference to the Avatar. As every season I will grant one favor, what is it you desire from me humans?"

"Only one favor?" Aang asks surprised

"One"

"See, we sort of need two favors..."

"One! My generosity only stretches so far. Every season I am faced with petty humans that command me to change their face, each one that I have put time effort and a piece of myself in. Countless mortals telling me my work is inadequate, one favor is all I can tolerate." She replies angrily

"If we only have one favor," Zuko faces the waterbenders "you should get yours, you deserve it more and have waited long enough."

"Thank you" the woman gratefully nods and walks up to the pool.

"Are you kidding me Zuko?" Azula shouts "I did not come this far to have you steal away my revenge now!" she charges towards the pool but is stopped by a blast of fire, wave of water and earthen bonds around her ankles. "You think you can stop me?" Laughing maniacally she charges up a lightning strike as the woman begins her request.

"Mother of Faces, I would like you to restore to…"

"NO!" Azula launches the bolt of lightning at the woman, but Zuko steps in, absorbing the attack and directing it back at her. With wide eyes Azula is flung far to the edge of the clearing.

"You forget I know how to deal with your lightning." Zuko states turning around "Go on, finish your request."

"…To restore my brother's face."

She takes off the mask to reveal that her brother's face was blank, no features of any kind.

"Koh!" Aang breathes out with the same shock as the rest.

"Very well" The Mother says.

The spirit reaches out to the waterbender's head and grabs it with both hands. A bright golden light radiates out from between the tree-like fingers, by now twilight had descended upon the clearing, but the light shone as if the sun had returned. When she removed her hands there stood a handsome young waterbender who immediately embraced his sister muttering thanks while the behemoth spirit descended back in to the depths of her pool. Katara grabbed Sokka's hand, touched by the tender moment between siblings.

"Fools!" Came a furious yell as Azula got to her feet. "This was my time for revenge, you ruined everything! Again!" Arms stretched out behind her two blue fireballs at the ready she charged, the first counterattacks easily dismantled with her raging dragon's breath. She maintained course; striking the first blow to Katara and knocking her down. Her path to the other siblings a little more open. Fire attacks from Zuko to her front and waves of Aang's spirit water attacks sloshing at her side barely slowing her down. Unnoticed by the fighters the commotion once again caused the water in the pond to gurgle.

Now close to her targets a boulder raised out of the ground in front of her but she deftly dodged to the side. Fully focused on her revenge she didn't notice the column of rock jutting out of the ground to her other side. Pain seared through her right side as she was flung away over the water. The earthen pillar hitting its mark and launching her away. In the middle of her flight through the air however, right over the middle of the pond, she stopped moving as if caught by an invisible hand. Around her the same golden light started to rise up on all sides, hazing her view as it formed a sphere. Water started to rise in a single narrow spire from the middle of the pool up to where she was suspended. Looking around she saw the others still in fighting stance, staring at her as if unmoving. The water started to follow the golden sphere encircling her as it began dragging her down.

"Help! Get me out of here. Zuko, help!" she tried to shout at them, but everyone remained perfectly still. Seemingly frozen in time.

The water was at eye level and rising as she lay there floating on her back, slowly sinking. Looking around all she could see now were the trees, the faces adorning their leaves seeming to stare back with glee at her capture. Fearing this was her end and unable to move, she closed her eyes. The water reached the top of the sphere at the same time as the ball descended onto the surface of the pool. Upon contact the entire ball was immediately sucked under and plummeted deep into the dark waters.

"Azula!" she heard Zuko yell.

Opening her eyes Azula realized she could move and floated upright. Her gaze into the waters beyond was met by the eyes of the Mother. Face to face and even more intimidating her faces were furious; when they spoke the sound came from everywhere at once seemingly even from inside her mind.

"Your actions represent the worst you mortals can inflict on this world. Your mind is full of battles; you are at war with yourself."

"You don't know me! You don't know anything about me. Let me go!" Azula said finding her voice, struggling against her bubble prison.

"You will remain with me to discover how it is you were corrupted." The Mother continued

"Sorry to disappoint but I have other plans." Azula said with a devilish grin. Taking a deep breath to charge her lightning, focusing her chi, she brought her fingers together in front of her. Inside her bubble she releases a massive wave of lightning energy that blasted out in all directions. The golden light disappears from view.

Relief starts to come over her before she sees the expanded walls of her bubble racing back towards her. She braces for impact. For the second time the pain of tremendous collision surges through her body, knocking her breath out of her lungs. Shocked and stunned her mind tries to force the life back into her legs. _Swim. Swim!_ With all her might she manages to thrust with her left leg first. _It'll have to do._ Short on air but determined her chi comes back and helps thrust her upward. The dark surface approaches as her head begins do grow light. Her right leg comes back to her and with that final push she breaks the surface gasping for air. Spinning around in the water she is suddenly keenly aware that this was no longer the Forgetful Valley.

"Freeze! Who are you?"

A/N:  
I'm back! I'm taking a course in writing at the moment so I thought I'd wait until that's over to give you a better quality story, but I feel you guys deserved it now. And I'm quite proud of how this chapter turned out. This chapter was _Heavily_ inspired by the last airbender comic series 'The Search: episode 2' and if you haven't read them I strongly recommend them to any fans of the avatar world. They'll definitely help visualize this chapter and are just good in their own rights.

This story is a passion project of mine and I want it written as much as you if not more, so to those of you wondering: don't worry, it's still happening. Your reviews really helped me get this chapter out.

Don't fear, next chapter we'll see Raven again,

-Tuonra


	3. Concrete Plans

Raven floated into the sealed concrete cube they had chained the unknown fighter in. The room was bare and grey, offset by the bright red and gold albeit stained, singed and torn outfit of the girl kneeling in its middle.

"Raven, was it? Which one this time? I've already met Green, Orange and Red." The girl spoke without lifting her head.

"You found Orange. So much for first impressions then. Never mind, who are you?" Raven began, the girl looked up at her then, standing.

"I am Azula. Rightful lord of the fire nation and I demand to know where you have taken me." Azula stated.

"The fire nation? Never heard of it. And you don't look like royalty to me." Raven replied

This seems to trigger Azula and her face twists into a crooked rage as she rushes to Raven as far as the chains on her hands allow.

"Do not waste my time! Release me at once!"

"Then tell me why you attacked the dam." Raven countered from slightly further back

This changed Azula back into a more calm state.

"Attack? I was only defending myself, any real attack I'd have done much more damage."

"Defending from what?" Raven asked.

"As soon as I came up out of the water a dozen of your soldiers pointed their weapons at me. Are you going to let me go anytime soon now?"

"Not until I know what you'd do if I did. So speak. Why are you here, where do you come from?"

"I don't even know where here is. First I was in a forest in the fire nation, then I'm fighting you lot with your crazy powers. Then you send me to some sort of terrible floating maze world and now I wake up chained in this box." Azula ranted, exasperated.

"You are in Jump city prison, in the nation of the United States of America. That maze you spent two days in was the inside of my mind and there is no such thing as a fire nation on this planet." Raven said.

"No! This can't be true, where has she sent me? This… I must be… You… Mind…" Azula collapses to the ground clutching her head in confusion and pain.  
"How is this happening? How did she send me here?"

"Who sent you here?" Raven asked.

"Mother…" is all the response she gets. Azula just starts muttering to herself.  
Seeing that there is no way to straighten this out by talking, Raven decides to change tactics.

"I can show you." She says and when Azula looks up at her questioningly she touches her finger to the girl's forehead and leaves her body.

Pulling Azula's spirit as well as her own out of their bodies she floats them up through the walls. Up and out of the prison, high into the night sky.

"This is Jump city." Raven begins, but is cut off.

"What are you doing to me? I can't feel my chi anymore!" Azula shouts, scrambling in her ghostly form, trying to produce flames.

"This _is_ your chi, your spirit form, the part of you that lives inside your mind and body." Raven tries to explain.

"Am I in the spirit world? Am I dead? Did she finally kill me?" Azula freezes as she realizes this.

"No, we are not dead, just outside our bodies. And you know of the spirit world? Who is trying to kill you, talk to me." Raven soothes.

"Of course I know of the spirit world, it's all that airhead avatar ever talks about. He's probably laughing now that I'm gone."

"Avatar? Airbender? What are you talking about now?" Raven asks, puzzled by all the new questions popping up.

"When you were in my mind, you kept fighting, and shouting how you would get your revenge, and how she would pay for this. I had to spend all my energy containing rage and he still found you and fought you. If we hadn't woken up, you'd still be in there fighting. Who is it you want revenge against?" Raven tries to get the royal to open up.

"My mother took everything from me. My title, my lands, my father, everything. I will find her, I was getting close. She must have sent me here because I was close." Azula rambles, seemingly getting angry at herself again.

"Focus. Stay with me. If you really want me to let you go, you need to talk to me." Raven demands and Azula turns back to her, her face looking a bit clearer as they make eye contact.  
Shuddering a bit under the intensity, Raven goes on.  
"So, how did you get here, and what were you doing at the dam?"

"I was in the fire nation forests with the avatar searching for her when we found the spirit we were hoping would give us a lead. But the blasted thing wouldn't help us and I tried to attack it, the avatar and his friends turned on me and we fought. In the middle of the battle the giant tree spirit sucked me under into its forest pool, when I used my fire to try to escape, all the water around me exploded away and I was here, in your city." Azula recalls calmly.

"That's a lot to take in, I still don't know where you are from, but it also doesn't sound like you have any reason to be a threat to our city and its people." Raven poses "What _would_ you do if we released you now?"

"I want to go back home and find who did this to me, but I have no idea where to start looking." Azula admits.

 _She did nearly beat all of us singlehandedly, we could definitely use her on our side._ _I wonder what the team will think; I doubt she's likely to apologize. I'll ask Robin later, we need her._ Raven thinks.

"Sounds like you need a place to stay, and we could use someone as skilled as you on our side." She states.

"What are you offering?" Azula quirks her brow.

"See that tower over there?" Raven turns to face the island off the coast with their team headquarters on it. "That's Titan Tower, our base of operations, and we fight crime in this city."

"You're all this city's got? You weren't kidding that you needed me." Azula snarks

 _And there's that royal arrogance again. So much for a nice chat._

"Anyway, I could ask the team if you could stay with us until we find a way to get you back home, and in return you'd help train and fight with us."

"Deal. But if I stay, you go by my rules." Azula declares

"Whatever you say princess." Raven rolls her eyes. "I'm going then. I'll take you back to your body."

"No stay, I want to explore this city more like this." Azula cuts in turning from gazing across the skyline to face Raven again.

Stunned briefly by the request, Raven floats them down anyway.  
"There'll be plenty of time to do things like that later and you don't need me for that. I need to go back to them now. I'll come by later tonight with what we've decided." She says quickly as they reenter the thick box.

"I can't wait." Azula says dryly, annoyed to be once again chained in the cell, but relieved to feel her bending power coursing through her body again.

XXXXXXX

It wasn't until five minutes later that it all hit her.  
 _I'm in another world. A whole, flaming, other world. She managed to send me an entire world away.  
_ At this Azula futilely smacks her chained hands on the ground beside herself in an un-princess-like huff.  
"What else do I know? I know they don't know me at least, I could use that. And I got a ticket into this world's hero club, bleh. As long as it gets me out of here I guess and I might need them to find a way back to the blasted avatar and his sidekicks."

 _Yes, tell them what they want to hear._

"Of course I lie, I always lie. What's my story going to be?"

 _Then why didn't you lie to the purple girl? You told her everything she asked._

"I didn't tell her anything."

 _You did._

"I did not!"

 _Of course you did. You told her who we are. You told her why we are here._

"Lies! Stop it. Stop talking! Get out of my head!"

 _Shhh. It's fine. I know what we are going to do. We can get everything if we just let them believe._

"No!"

 _Yes_

"No!"

 _Yes_

"No."

 _Yess._

" _Yes."_

XXXXXXX

"There you are!" Robin gets up as Raven enters the Titans living room. "First you keep me locked up in happy land for two days, and then when I wake up Cyborg tells me you're already off to talk to the prisoner without even discussing it first. We are still a team Raven."

"Her name is Azula" Raven begins, unfazed. "And she's not here to hurt us. Or anyone for that matter."

"How can you know what she wants from just one talk?" Robin says "Did you not see how she nearly kicked all of our butts? We can't just release her."

"Robin is right. She did do the kicking to all of our butts."

"I know Star, that's why I'm not saying we should release her. As far a she knows, she just popped into this world from hers and she just wants to get back home." Raven tries to convince.

"Like the Terminator! Cool!" Beastboy pipes up.

"No, not cool BB, she's in a strange land, full of people she doesn't know, with no way home." Raven turns to say. "That's why I think she should stay with us, she's obviously a good fighter, and she might teach us if we help her get home."

"She could still be dangerous Raven; we don't know anything about her. Remember what happened when you convinced us to take in Jinx?" Robin sounds unconvinced.

"But this is nothing like that. You should see the way she looks at everything in the city, it's like she's never seen anything like it before." Raven gets impatient "And she called you MetalMan." She turns to Cy.

"I'm more of a funk guy, but…"

"What do you mean see the city, Raven? You took her out of prison? This _is_ just like Jinx all over again!" Robin cuts in.

"It's not!" Raven says angrily now "I only floated her out in spirit form over the buildings to talk."  
"But if you won't believe me, let's just all go there now and you can ask her all the questions you want."

"That's what I was saying we should have done all along!" Robin raises his hands in exasperation but knows he won't get anything from Raven "Fine, let's go."

XXXXXXX

The concrete wall to Azula's left suddenly started to rumble and then sink away, revealing the five would-be heroes of the city. Turning her head over her shoulder, a wicked smirk is swiftly hidden and replaced by a perfect mask as she stares at the oddly colorful group.

"Azula? We are the Teen Titans." Robin proclaims.

Elegantly Azula rises and turns to face them, eyes locking with Raven briefly before looking down a bit at  
Robin's masked ones.

"That would explain the voice then." Azula states blankly.

Gnashing his teeth and giving Raven a mean glare, Robin continues with balled fists at his sides.

"What were you doing at the dam?"

"Like I told her, I was just exploring a forest in my home country when I was sucked into a pool of water and came up here." Azula tries to play it off as the most obvious answer in the world. "And then you lot attacked me."

"You blew up the dam!" Robin begins but Star's hand on his shoulder stops him. "Ahem, what is this country you speak of, and where did you get your powers?"

"The Fire nation? Lots of people have bending; none use it as well as me of course. As you have seen."

"Bending? What are you talking about?"

"You've never heard of bending? Firebending, Earthbending, bending the elements to your will." Azula says, more and more surprised by this world. "You are either born with it or not, how do you get your powers?"

"Freak accidents and lots of training mostly, though some are born with it." Robin turns to Starfire and then Raven. Azula's gaze follows and hangs on the purple-haired woman a bit before asking:  
"What do I need to do to have you let me out of here? I really do want to go back home."

"You can start by just answering my questions before you think about going anywhere." Robin starts impatiently.

"Wait, I think I know a way that won't make this last all day." Raven picks in, eyeing Azula before turning to Robin "If I create a projection field and link it to her mind, she can show us where she's from, what happened, and how she got here all straight from her head. All she has to do is remember."

"Sounds perfect, do it Raven." Robin orders, liking the idea of not having to ask more questions.

"Hey wait. Aren't you going to ask me anything before prying into my mind? I don't want any of you in my head!" Azula says, feeling powerless.

"It's okay, it won't hurt." Raven tries to calm "It won't be inside your mind, just on the outside listening to what you're thinking, like a cable from a camera to a TV."

"What's a teevee? What are you talking about?" Azula backs away a step, confused.

"I'm an empath, my powers allow me to see emotions and tap into the energy of the mind, a bit like the chi you said powers your bending. I just want you to show us the picture of the memories you see inside your head on this screen." Raven tries to explain and conjures a rectangle of blackish flowing shadows on the wall to Azula's left. "Like this"

Raven touches a tendril coming from the bottom corner of the screen and it flashes alight with images of the red and azure fight on the dam, of her pulling trees up to the cracked structure, of them two floating above the city in ethereal form and then of that same city view but this time from a place high up with purple drapes in front of a large window. Before Raven snaps her hand back from the projection and it cuts to black again.

Somehow Azula feels comforted by the girl's words and nods curtly. After a few moments she steps forward and the Teen Titans all bunch forward eager to see what'll appear.

The black screen flickers with several blurry faces and shades of red and blue before congealing into an image. Azula and another young boy with dark hair, neither more than ten years old out in a stone courtyard encircled by pillars each with a wooden training dummy in front. An instructor in his early thirties with a thin mustache like a pair of whiskers addressed the boy. "Zuko, show me a chain of numbers fours, a number 8 every third one like we left off on last time." The young Firebender set off from one edge of the yard toward a dummy. Breathing in, arms held ready with upturned fists close to his chest and with a face contorted in focus he took a heavy step forward accompanied by a limp looking punch that produced a mild burst of flame. The second step was much the same with his left fist, the third he managed to lift his leg along with his arm, but when w punched and kicked them together his balance shifted too far and he toppled forward into an uncomfortable looking split. "Ah Zuko, you see when you start the…"  
"Move aside, older brother" Azula interrupted their instructor "You lack power."  
Following up her claim she charges on another dummy full of determination, but with seeming ease. Step and punch right. Step and punch left. Turn her whole body sideways as her right leg follows her arm as if connected by a puppet's string. Both are thrust forward with power creating a single searing fireball at the dummy. Still in rhythm Azula continues with a punch left, right and a kick left. Stopping and looking up and past her nose when her final punch stops just short of the dummy's neck.

The image twists away in a blur and reforms

A slightly older Azula and Zuko are seated at a table with their parents in the palace dining room, the room exudes opulence with high ceilings held up by towering red and gold pillars, the table is laden with cured and seared meats and seemingly every red food imaginable, from tomatoes and chilies, to cherries, pomegranates and apples. The servants address the father figure on the end as lord or highness, and he is dressed in elegant robes worthy of his titles. It is the mother that speaks next "Azula dear, Master Kunyo tells me that your training is going extraordinarily well and that today you even produced blue flames." "That _is_ great news Azula" The fire lord takes over "That is a feat even the most gifted fire masters have only been able to do on the solstice. It is truly a blessing from the spirits that such power and prowess should reside in the royal family."  
"Thank you father, I will not disappoint our family with this gift. Master Kunyo says that I should learn to temper my powers to conserve energy I fights, but I don't feel tired at all when we train." Azula says  
"Then Kunyo is a fool for doubting your power! I shall see to it that you have a new fire master by your next lesson." Fire lord Ozai exclaims, affronted. "What about you Zuko, how is your training going? Last I heard your sister was four combat forms ahead of you despite being two years younger. Have you made any improvements?" Ozai asks in a warning tone.  
"But I liked master Kunyo," is all Zuko manages to stammer out before the memory fades once more.

Raven didn't know how, but watching these memories she never seemed to need to hear a name. Anyone who appeared on screen she just knew who they were. No time to contemplate what this meant as the next memory flashed to life.

Zuko is standing in a palace room surrounded by walls of fire. From behind the flames on a throne barely visible across the bright light his father Ozai speaks. "Your continued weakness has brought great shame upon our family for years now, Zuko." A pause as he rises to tower over the flames separating them. "But it is your latest rashness and disrespect of my rule in the war room meeting that leave me no choice."  
"But father…"  
"SILENCE." Ozai commands. "For any ordinary citizen the punishment for such dishonor is death. As my son, your punishment will be no different."

The memory jumps to Azula, listening at their parents' door.

"You can't go through with this!" She hears her mother plead "Executing your own son. How mad!"  
"I must, the risk is too great. Such disobedience can only lead to betrayal, and that is not something I am willing to risk." Ozai argues "I shall do it myself, it will be over quickly. I cannot show weakness now. We are at war."  
"How can you be so cold?"  
Azula ducks away down the hall as her mother storms out of the room and off the other way.

Black.

"You did this." Ozai spits, standing in the palace, torso bare in combat robes, Zuko nowhere to be seen. "You snuck him out of the castle last night." He demands more than asks of his wife.  
"It doesn't matter, he is still banished, if he sets foot in fire nation territory again, he will be captured or killed on sight." Ozai states wistfully, looking up over her shoulder towards the massive open wall into the bright courtyard and the forested lands that lay beyond. "As for you, for this day you are still my queen, but from tomorrow ever onwards, you too are banished from the capital. Pack your things. Leave. Go back to your little town if you wish. But never set foot here again, or it will be your last." Ozai says with finality.

Cut to a much older Azula, near the age she looks now.

Warships lay in the harbor; massive armored platypus bears march with earth kingdom troops on the capitol. Azula jumps down from the window she was perched on to overlook the battle. The sun is almost covered by the moon overhead and she can begin to feel her bending powers wane.

Ozai is seated in his throne room during the eclipse; Zuko appears at the entrance, armed with twin curved swords. "So this is how it ends." Ozai says calmly "My own son here to cut me down when I am unable to fight back." The merest twinge of hesitation flickers across Zuko's scarred face.

The eclipse has passed, Ozai is off to battle, Azula is ready for her coronation as the new fire lord.

Azula Steps out from the palace doors, out onto the podium at the top of the massive stairs down to the main square. She will have to imagine the crowds of loyal, supporting citizens to witness her ascension, but nothing will detract from this perfect day. _Nothing can stop me now._ She thinks as she kneels on the stones, the fire sages around her ready to bestow her with the crown.  
"By decree of Fire lord Ozai and with the Fire counsel's great approval, it brings me great honor to bestow upon you this crown and the title of Fire lord." The High Sage began.  
A thunderous crash sounded from across the square as a wall was obliterated to reveal the silhouette of two benders.  
"Not today, Azula. Today _I_ become Fire lord."  
Azula's eyes shone with the maddest rage as she lifted her gaze from the floor to see Zuko and Katara standing ready for battle.  
Rising to her feet and declining the crown for the moment, Azula spoke with a tone of crazed glee:  
"Oh Zuzu. You think yourself the better ruler just because you showed up with an army. Let's settle this the way it's always been meant to go. Just you and me. Agni Kai."

Black.

"You've learned much, brother. But it won't be enough to best me." Azula shouts flinging a volley of fireballs from her left side. The return fire came straight at her accompanied by a "Getting tired already, Azula?" and she brought up a wall of blue 50 feet wide to block it.  
"Not a chance!" Pulling the sides of the wall inward as she sent the middle forwards, setting a towering snowplow of sapphire flames upon Zuko. Who deftly sped out of the way, zooming low across the ground on powerful jets of fire hoping to flank her from her right.  
Azula sent a single, powerful blast at him as she strafed to her left; the flames colliding with Zuko's in midair as he too started to step in what looked like an ornate dance. Ball after ball of searing heat collided in between them as they completed their clockwise routine.  
Azula stops to channel a mighty cone of blue with both her hands, straight at Zuko.  
The retaliation is immediate as she feels rather than sees his own jet impact hers and bounce off the left. Just in time she swaps to a single arm casting on her fire and whips her body back into a line behind her right leg as a wall of red and orange powerful enough to light up the whole square shears by her at a hair's breadth. Unable to keep up flames that size for long one-handed, both infernos die down simultaneously and the siblings face each other out of breath. A lull in the duel.  
Azula recovers first and starts charging forward aided by a fiery boost, ready to strike when she feels her head go cold. Oddly the feeling spreads to the rest of her body and she loses control over her fire jet, swerving suddenly as the last of the flames winked out and she crashed to the ground. Her body limp as it skids to a halt on the stones. The cold suddenly changed to pain. Searing pain. Shooting pain. Freezing pain. Her eyes focus on the silhouette approaching her angrily. Katara.

Black.

The door to her cell opened and Azula blinked at the light, her straitjacket preventing her from shielding her eyes. As the light gave way to reveal the figure in her doorway, all Azula saw was her crown on his head.  
"Azula." He began "Sister."  
"Zuzu, what a lovely surprise." She sneered darkly.  
"Azula we are family, we need each other…"  
"Cut the crap, Zuko. What do you want?" Azula bit him off.  
"I want to find mother, Azula." He offers in a seemingly exhausted sigh.  
 _Mother? Mother took everything from us. She's still alive?_ "She's still alive?"  
"I believe so, I am going to go looking for her, but I have no idea where to start." Zuko says "Will you help me?"  
 _Help Zuzu? Why would we help the foolish coward? Unless, yes. We find mother and we make her pay. Pay for what she did to us. Pay for it all._  
"How do you think I could help if I wanted to?" She asks "I don't know any more than you do."  
"You could talk to father, he won't give me anything."

Azula is in a wheelchair, still bound to move no more than a wriggle, but her mouth is uncovered.  
"So this is what you're up to now Ty Lee? Hanging out with your Earth kingdom friends guarding helpless prisoners."  
"Ignore her; don't let her get to you." Zuko warns.  
The rest of the way happens in silence as Zuko, Suki and Ty Lee escort to Ozai's cell. Azula is placed in the antechamber to the cell, a pair of solid iron bars separating her from her father. And she is left alone in the dim room.

Half an hour Azula stays silent, both parties more than content to wait and see how they would be handled. The door opens and after years apart, Azula still recognizes Zuko's steps. He's carrying something, a tray holding something.  
"You haven't said anything; I brought some tea to…"  
 _Tea. That's rich, how dare he_  
"…to help the conversation…"  
Just then Zuko came close enough and Azula struck. Biting the corner of the wooden tray and flipping it and the tea on it onto Zuko, causing him to stumble back and land on his ass. _Too easy._  
"How did you expect me to drink tea while wearing a straitjacket, Zuko?" Azula yells, hopping up onto her bound feet. Ty Lee and Suki storm in and Ty Lee chi blocks and already bound Azula, who falls in a heap to the floor.  
"Leave us." Zuko commands them  
"I thought the tea would lend a little dignity," Zuko says as he props her up into the chair, but her head still lulled backwards. "We're still family."  
"You want dignity?" Azula speaks to the ceiling "How about letting us have a conversation like normal people; in private."  
"Ten minutes" was all he said as he left.

The screen flicks to ten minutes later, an unbound Azula stands in a small closed chamber, filled with random belongings. A set of ancient blades on the wall, an arctic uniform on a stand in the corner, and chests and display cases littered everywhere.  
"What is this place?" a slightly out of breath Zuko asks as he walks in too.  
Azula is rummaging through one of the chests; it's full of envelopes and papers. _They're here. Just like he said. I'm coming for you now mother._ Letters their mother had attempted to send out of the castle, intercepted and stored. As she finds the one she needs, Azula turns to face Zuko, holding the letter aloft between two fingers.  
"It's one of father's secret rooms of course."  
"What are? Give me those!" Zuko steps closer and his eyes go wide as blue flames engulf and consume the paper.  
"Those were mother's secret letters. The key to finding her."  
"What have you done?" Zuko exclaims.  
"Relax Zuzu, I read them, and here's what's going to happen. You need me, and you're gonna take me with you, no chains."

Black.

The forest outside Hira'a was dense. So the clearing came as a welcome surprise to Azula as she noticed the deep, tranquil pool in its center. The rest of the group burst from the edge of the jungle behind her and join her in staring at the immense blue and white spirit wolf looming over them at the other side of the pool.  
"I made it. You guys tried to stop me from getting here, but I made it. I found it." Azula said to no one in particular. She reaches down to touch the surface of the pool.  
"Azula no!" Aang shouts from behind her, to no avail as Azula continues her hand down.  
An inch before her fingers make contact with the clear water, a braid of vines shoots out from the jungle lining the clearing. It flicks her hand back up before unraveling and re-constricting itself around her wrist. Azula is tossed back, away from the little lake. Regaining her focus in midair she sears through the vine tentacle with a glove of blue on her other hand before tumbling to the ground, rolling on and popping back up in fighting position.  
"See. Nature hates you." Sokka yells feeling validated.  
"It's not just her." Katara says "Look out!" dodging a flying shuriken as it whizzes by her. Looking back at where it's still twanging in a tree behind her, she sees that it's not just a shuriken; it's a pink flower as hard and sharp as any metal.  
"Team Avatar, defensive stations." Aang commands.

Black.

If the blue wolf was big, the creature standing in pond now was absolutely colossal. Her body is not so much in the water as it seems to be part of her, flowing up and around where her body would be. The rest of her seemed to be made of tightly bound and twisted, yet organically moving mangrove roots. Two long, slender arms and for a head a large crown-like form with six identical thick, root horns, below each of which sat an ethereally white, mask-like face, covered from the eyes up by roots. The Mother of Faces.

Black.

Azula rushes forward as we see the Mother slip just below the surface and disappear. "NO!"  
"Tell me where my mother is!" she screams in vain "You," Turning towards the other six faces in the clearing "you did this. And you'll pay." Azula charges forward in a furious haze; stopped dead as a solid earthen stump juts from the land in from of her, sending her sailing through the air over the pool. Lightning-fast a tendril of water leaps up from the middle of the pond and holds her completely immobile. Slowly but surely water starts engulfing her and sucking her below its surface.

Black.

Blinding white.

Dark and out of breath. Panic. Cold. Up. Where is up? The emotions hit Raven hard as she watches the struggle on screen.  
"Freeze!"

XXXXX

Raven rushes forward as Azula collapses from exhaustion, the screen flickering out of existence as her fingers pull away from its grasp. Catching her just before she hits the floor and carrying her to the chair.  
"Wow." Beastboy said lamely  
"You can say that again" Cy added, rubbing the back of his head.  
"Is she all of the right, Raven" Starfire came over.

BeepBeepBeep. BeepBeepBeep!

"Titans, no time to waste; a major disturbance is happening at the city quarry, something about a twenty foot tall monster." Robin cuts in urgently.  
"But we can't just leave her here, she's drained. I need to keep her up." Raven counters.  
"How long?"  
"Fifteen minutes at least."  
"Can you do it while flying there?"  
Raven pauses a second; looks from Robin to Azula and back. "I can try."

"Titans, go!"

XXXXXXX

Weirder than a flock of monkey storks delivering babies to the county zoo, was the sight that flew over Jump City tonight: an orange girl carrying a masked parakeet, a green pterodactyl hauling a hunk of blue metal and a jet-black raven towing a red-wrapped girl in her dark tendrils.

"The quarry is coming up. Drop Cy and me off in the center and see what you can do from above." Robin planned. "And Raven, keep Azula somewhere safe."  
"Ready?" He then asks.  
All of them affirm and he begins a countdown.  
"3. 2. 1. Go!"

"Show yourself!" Robin shouts. Back to back with Cyborg in the middle of the large excavation pit. Heavy machinery: cranes, trucks, dozers and forklifts stud the place. Behind one of the massive dump trucks, the tires taller than any of the titans, they hear a rumble and out comes an equally humungous grey shape. But as Robin gets a better look at the thing, there's nothing human about it. It seems to be a lumbering pile of concrete. As to how something like that has come to life, the team has no time to wonder.  
"Who are you?" Robin yells, which only makes the giant grunt vaguely and continue its large strides toward them.  
"Stay back!" Cy raises his arm and shifts it into blaster mode. The giant is unfazed and now almost upon them; definitely twenty feet tall, Cyborg thinks. He fires a powerful blue burst at its chest. It stops a second, looks down at it and keeps walking, undamaged.  
"That's bad news." Cy says "Move!"

He and Robin move out of the monster's path as it moves straight on. Starfire dives down for a sweeping attack, the air rushing past her face, speeding down she fires a volley of lime green disks. They hit their mark. Pelting the giant in the side of the head in quick succession and causing him to stop and flail his arms sluggishly in defense. Robin manages to throw his bolas and catch the giant's legs, but one step later they rip and fall of as if made of silk. Star comes down for a second pass even faster this time. The wind in her eyes, she still manages to land a dozen hit on its chest, but isn't able to dodge the sweeping arm as a rough hand clamps around her torso in midair plucking her out of the sky.

Beastboy sees the attack and goes in. "Hey cinderblock!" he shouts mockingly, folding his leathery wings back to go for a nosedive. "Pick on someone your own size." Cinderblock's beady red eyes got a little bit wider as he looked up to see a great wooly mammoth plummeting down on him. As he crashed to his elbows and knees, the elephant coming down square on the back of his neck, he let go of Starfire in favor of grabbing onto a tusk. Cinderblock rose to one knee grabbing firmly on to the back of Beastboy, reminiscent of Atlas carrying the world and before the latter could do much about it, he was soaring back up through the air in a tumble. Stumpy legs and long trunk flailing wildly midflight, course set straight for Cyborg's bald dome. Cyborg braces himself, huddling his head behind his arms as he hears the panicked trumpeting call morph to a no less panicked human 'AAAAAAH! OOF!' as BB careens into Cyborg and they both tumble to the ground.

Robin rushes over to pick up Star, but she gets up just fine by the time he gets there; though the look in her eyes is a tad angrier as she looks at the towering hunk of concrete. "Let's get him together," Robin urges her "you take the left, I'll go right." And as planned, Cinderblock turns around just in time to see a handful of metal disks and another volley from Starfire come at his face from both sides. The energy bolts hitting him first before the little disks explode and stun and bling him/ disoriented he starts to topple sideways, collapsing onto the cabin of an excavator, crushing it like tin foil. Regaining his senses he huffs angrily and pushes himself back upright, he rips the digger arm clean off the body. With his new crooked club he swipes at Robin and Starfire, Robin rolls out of the way, but Star gets smacked through one of the temporary plywood offices that dot the mine.

"Now there's an idea!" Cyborg says, having rid himself of the tangled limbs of Beastboy.  
Cy shows his strength as he rips a solid iron rail straight out of the tracks that run the edge of the mine. New weapon in hand he charges at the giant and takes the first swing.

Raven is at the top edge of the quarry, looking over Azula as flashes of lime green flit at the corner of her eye and sounds of the battle below ring in her ears. _Come on Azula, wake up._ Sensing the firebender's energy returning, she pours some of her own psionic power into her. _This has to work, she's strong enough._ Raven controls the shadowy blackness surrounding Azula and makes it slowly ride up and down her body in waves. Attempting to realign her body's chi in a manner akin to cpr for the soul. Funneling more power into her, smoothing it out. Feeding, smoothing. A series of explosions take her out of focus for only a second to see what is going on below. A flying elephant and she's back to tending to Azula.

"Raven, we need you." A crackly Robin cones through on her communicator. Sounds of the clash still ongoing in the background.  
"I can't leave her yet, she's still unconscious" Raven buzzes back.  
Loud crashes echo all over the quarry as metal collides with metal. Cyborg and Cinderblock going toe to toe with their makeshift staves.  
"We're barely holding him off, nothing we do can touch him, Raven." Robin admits.  
Just then, the giant readies up a hefty swing, preparing to bring the arm down full force. Cyborg leaps to his side with an extra boost from his rocket blaster, and the massive blow misses him by an arm's length. It does however smash straight through one of the fuel storage tanks.

BOOOOOSH!

The fireball lit up the night sky as the team ducked for cover, the shockwave traveling up the walls of the mine; a ripple in the earth itself. Instantly, Azula's eyes popped open as she jerked awake. Sucking in a breath, the smell of fire filled her lungs and set her ablaze. Azula relaxed a bit before she looked around, no idea what or where or when. Until she saw a familiar gray face and purple eyes. "She's awake." The face spoke, but didn't take its eyes off her.  
"Then get down here, we need you." Robin said urgently, as more sounds of warping metal rang in the background.

Suddenly all business, the eyes hardened and looked away down into the pit. "Are you okay?" they said.  
"I'm fine." Azula huffed "What did you do to me? I don't remember coming here." She asked accusingly.

"You passed out from the power it took to project those memories, we got an emergency call about a monster in the quarry but we couldn't leave you. So I flew you here with us until you woke up." Raven summarizes quickly, looking down to her team again anxiously.

After a pause, Azula decides to let it go for now. "A fight? Let's go."

Azula slid down the steep edges of the quarry on her feet, jumping when the walls stepped inwards to make smaller and smaller circles. Raven on the other hand simply floated down at just the same pace and they arrived at the edge of the flat center area together. Azula and Raven run to catch up with the rest of the team who seems to have just regrouped.  
"It's heading for the exit on that end." Robin said after the group had huddled up, pointing to the edge of the mine where a steel cargo lift ran up the slanted sides of the pit an out into the city. "We have to stop it from getting out of here. Who knows what damage it could do out there."

"We've barely slowed it down so far, what can we do?" Cyborg says, looking a little beat already.  
"What is this thing, and what have you done already?" Azula cuts in in a no-nonsense tone. Robin looks a little irked by her taking the lead over the discussion, but Beastboy fills her in. "A giant concrete man that can rip up metal and take any punch we've given it."  
"Ah, and what's concrete?"  
"Like stone, most of our buildings are made of it." Raven offers.  
"Stone has never withstood my fire for long. We need to hit it all together in one spot, like a hammer, over and over." Azula says confidently and it gives the team a visible boost. Robin is less than pleased to be ousted as leader, but has to admit she has a good plan.  
"Okay titans, here's how we'll do it." Robin starts "Raven and BB, you work on slowing him down and the rest of us will try to get a good shot off on him. We need to hurry so let's move."

The team splits up and moves in on Cinderblock. The latter is closing in on the lift, only another fifty feet away. Raven flies over to him quickly and tears off a side of one of the dump trucks telekinetically. Floating the giant sheet of metal in front of Cinderblock, she attempts to wrap him up in it. Succeeding in halting him for now but feeling that as she lets go of the metal, he becomes able to pry himself free. Beastboy runs along the containers and machinery as a cheetah, slipping around the monster's feet. Changing into the great pacific octopus he stretches two long tentacles out towards each side of the narrow corridor towards the lift. Grabbing onto a shipping container on one end and a pickup truck on the other; his other four limbs wrapping around Cinderblock's legs and torso in the metal sheet.

"We've got him, but not for long!" Raven yells to her team, struggling to control the metal wrapping of her stone sushi roll.  
"We're ready." Robin yells back and Raven peels back the tow edges of the steel curtain, opening up Cinderblock's bare chest to attack.  
"On 3, we hit him with everything."  
"1" "2" "3!"

All at once, four impacts rocked the giant. A crackling blue beam of plasma alongside a barrage of explosive bird-a-rangs. A solid green beam of Star's unique energy blast flanked by a brilliant sapphire cone of billowing flames. Azula's beam held on the longest as the four assailants each paused for breath.  
"Again!" Shouts Robin.  
The powerful barrage staggered Cinderblock, forced to take the full force of the hits as the restraints holding him gave no ground. When the fire receded once more, cracks became clearly visible in the golem's chest filling everyone with more determination.  
"Again!" Came a decidedly out of breath Robin.  
Beastboy's arms were going numb as the onslaught continued. Raven struggled to maintain her control over the restraints as the creature's resistance remained strong. Azula saw the beam of green next to her flicker and redouble as Star obviously gave it her all, Saw the sweat on Cyborg's brow as he fired another blast and Robin's belt was nearly empty of useful gadgets. She felt her own flames dim, her power not quite what it should be since she was still regaining her strength. The screen _had_ taken a lot out of her. Then the giant collapsed to one knee, cracks marring its upper body.

"Again." Robin sputtered, but this time there was no energy left in any of them to put up a worthwhile showing. Azula conjured a pathetic puff that barely made it all the way to the monster before harmlessly dissipating. Cyborg's effort was no better as his cannon arm merely sparked, the lights on his mechanical body dimmer than before. Star was no longer flying now but stood managed some decent beams but they lasted all but a second before she too was spent.

Robin resorted to his Bo staff as he saw his allies give their all, Raven and Beastboy both losing the struggle to hold Cinderblock. The giant rose and to his horror Robin saw how with an immense roar, it started to seal the cracks that had formed on its body. Rising triumphantly and raising its arms as the wounds disappeared; seemingly being filled with fresh concrete from the inside. Losing all will to fight, Robin fell to his knees as the team watched the colossus ride the elevator up and vanish into the night.

Cyborg stepped forward heavily and laid a hand on Robin's shoulder. "It's okay. We'll get him next time." He said and then went to sit down on the crumpled metal that remained of the truck. Azula too felt like she could no longer stand, but she hobbled over to the purple haired girl anyway, past Robin.  
"Hey you. Azula." Robin stammered out. "You were right, we could use more teamwork."  
Azula turns to look at him, exhaustion not quite allowing her to keep her face blank.  
"How would you like to join us for a while, while we help you get back to your home and your mother?"  
For once, Azula felt like she was in one mind about something. "I'd like that."

XXXXXXX

A/N: Well hey there everyone. Told you this story wouldn't stop. Though to be honest I didn't know myself when I would get to it, if ever. And in the end what made this happen was when after a nearly a year of no updates someone still took the time write my little story a review. You read that a lot in author's notes; that reviews help, but damn they really do. So if you read my story here, I'd love to hear what you think. This chapter cost me a lot of time, so don't expect the next one to be along anytime soon. Also tell me if this length of chapter feels good, or is it a bit long. Anyway. Hope you enjoyed it.  
-Tuonra


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